Everyone knows that mindfulness meditation is good for us. However, what kind of benefits that we will get from being mindfulness? Scientists have proven that being mindfulness will make us more adept at switching tasks and returning to a deep level of concentration more quickly after a distraction. Every time we practice meditation, we’re strengthening the neural circuitry for focus and training our brain away from mind-wandering. Beyond the need to concentrate for work, pleasure, or to overcome negative emotion, mindfulness meditation can also help to manage disorders like PTSD, anxiety, and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). If you would like to enjoy these benefits of mindfulness, please join our meditation workshop organised by UQ Buddhist Society! For more details, please contact Chen (0423457164) or email to uqbuds@gmail.com. Click here to register!

Lynn Kelly started meditating in 1975 and undertook eight lifetime precepts with Ven. Gunaratana in the early 1990s. From 1996-2004 she co-lead a weekly sitting group in Takoma Park, MD (USA), with Luisa Montero-Diaz under the auspices of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC. Lynn completed the first Community Dharma Leader training offered by Spirit Rock Meditation Center (1997-2000). In 2004, she retired and moved to Brisbane with her husband John. Her princple teachers are Patrick Kearney (Australia) and Sayadaw U Tejaniya (Myanmar), and supporting teachers are Shinzen Young and Bhikkhu Bodhi. She regularly posts to her website, The Buddha’s Advice to Laypeople (http://buddhasadvice.wordpress.com).

John Kelly has been a practicing Buddhist for over 30 years and has extensively studied the Pali language and the suttas of the Pali Canon. Since retiring from a career as a computer database specialist in the USA, John moved back to his home country, Australia in 2004, where he currently resides in Brisbane. He was principal assistant to Bhikkhu Bodhi in his recently pblished landmark translation of the Anguttara Nikaya, in addition to his earlier sutta anthology, “In the Buddha’s Words”. In 2005, John was a founding member and designer on the team that created SuttaCentral.net, a continuously growing trove of information on early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels. In 2011 John completed an MA in Buddhist Studies from the University of Sunderland and subsequently his dissertation for this course, “The Buddha’s Teachings to Lay People”, was published in the academic journal Buddhist Studies Review.

The Buddha walked this Earth over 2500 years ago, teaching the profound truth of the reality of existence. Now, over 2500 years later, Buddhists around the world are still walking in his footsteps, living their lives in accordance with his teachings. Despite the many changes through the centuries, the Buddha’s accurate analysis of the human condition and existence is as relevant today as it was then. Likewise, his teachings on the causes of happiness and unhappiness, and the way to true peace, still holds true in our modern society. As interesting as the Buddha’s theories may be, they are not theoretical. The practice of the Buddha’s teachings is not merely to study it, but to live it. To incorporate it into our lives, such that we come to see the truth for ourselves and see how this practice changes our life for the better. This workshop explores the core teachings of the Buddha, and interweaves the teachings into four main domains of our life: our inner world, our relationships, our work, and our world.

Program

9:30am: Welcome

9.35am – 9.50am: ‘What’s on your mind?’ meditation

9.50am – 10:50am: Your inner world: why do you do what you do, feel what you feel, and think what you think? Exploring intention, feelings, thoughts, and the relationship between them.

10:50am – 11:10am: Break: Tea and Snacks provided

11:10am – 12 noon: Your relationships: what are the top 8 causes of difficulties in relationships and what is the Buddhist practice to cultivate loving relationships?

12 noon – 12.10pm: Short Break

12.10pm – 1.00pm: Your work: practical tips to transform studies to spiritual lessons, work to vocation, peace in busyness, and stress to flowers

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch: Vegetarian food and drinks provided

2:00pm – 2:50pm: Your world: The Buddha said, “Within this fathom-long body and mind is found all of the teachings.” How to see the characteristics common to all humans and all conditioned phenomena, by seeing it within our own body and mind.

3pm: Close

About the Speaker

Tina Ng is the Founder and President of the Metta Centre in Bankstown, Sydney. She is also the Founder and Principal Solicitor of Metta Legal. Metta Centre’s aim is to support lay practice in a meaningful and holistic way: the Metta Wellbeing Centre offers free Dhamma talks, meditation and yoga classes; the Metta Business Hub is to encourage professionals and businesses to bring the Buddha’s teachings into our work and to provide mentoring opportunities; the Metta Community is to connect like-minded Buddhist practitioners with social causes. Metta Legal is an example of merging one’s spiritual practice with the practice of law.

Tina hopes these organisations can support lay practice of the Buddha’s teachings in our daily life, and inspire practitioners to realise that our Buddhist practice does not need to start after we finish work, but that our work is our spiritual practice. Tina also enjoys writing for print and online publications. You can view some of Tina’s writings at www.littlepieceofcalm.com

Buried under the stack of assignments, tests, and quizzes, stressed out, …, wait, you need to take a breath and meditate. This semester UQBuDs together with UQ Meditation Group will launch a fantastic meditation program for you. Every Thursday afternoon from 13:00 to 14:30, we gather at the prayer space (on the ground floor of the Multi-Faith Centre), practice meditation, and share our experiences with each other. Here you will meet practitioners from different backgrounds (Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, Tibetan Buddhism and even Christianity) but practice meditation for the same purpose: to reduce suffering.

This meditation session is kindly led by Barbara and Anna. Both of them are experienced meditators. They have been running this meditation group on campus for about 4 years. Differing from other meditation groups, this group doesn’t stick to any particular type of meditation. With meditation unguided, you can do whatever meditation practice you prefer, which also means you can share your meditation experiences with others and benefit from learning their meditation techniques.

Here are the details of this meditation program:

Who goes to this meditation group?
We are an informal, non-denominational, group of staff and students from around the university who meet once a week to practice meditation. Everyone who is interested in practicing still, silent meditation is welcome to come and sit with us.

When is the meditation?
The siting is on Thursday starting at 1.05pm and ending at 1.50pm sharp.
If you are attending for the first time please arrive 10-15 minutes early so we can show you the layout and arrange a cushion or chair for you. It is ok to arrive late or leave early if you need to.

Where does the meditation group meet?
We sit in the room called the Prayer Space on the ground floor of the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Centre (building #38).
The front door of this area of the Centre is kept locked but there are always lots of friendly people coming and going through this door. So either follow someone else into the building through the front door or indicate to people inside and they will open it for you. (If you decide to come to the meditation group regularly, door access can be added to your university ID card)
After entering the ground floor of the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Centre walk straight down the corridor, past the Muslim prayer area, and you will see a big spacious room on the left. This is the Prayer Space and we are in there!

What happens at the meditation?
Everyone takes a seat – either on a chair or a cushion on the floor. Chairs and cushions are available but bring your own cushion of you prefer.
Bell to start meditation at 1.05pm. Please be seated 5 minutes before this, if possible.
20 minutes of still, silent sitting.
5 minutes of walking meditation or stretching (whatever you want to do).
Another 20 minutes of still, silent sitting.
Bell to end meditation at 1.50pm sharp.
After meditation is the tea time with discussion.
Please note that this is a practice group not a class; the meditation is unguided (people can do whatever meditation practice they prefer). But beginners are welcome and experienced meditators are available to offer advice before and after the sitting. Please contact Barbara (barbara.sullivan@uq.edu.au) or Anna (anolan.mail@icloud.com) if you have any questions or would like some beginner instruction.
The organizers and several members of this group belong to an off campus zen group – Ordinary Mind Zen Brisbane – see http://ordinarymind.org.au/.

Third, exam. YES, EXAM! If you are interested in getting a diploma in Buddhism for teaching purpose, we also offer you an opportunity to take in the formal exam (designed by the Young Men’s Buddhist Association).

Fourth, a secret guestwill visit UQ BUDS in February 2016! She used to be one of the founders and the old executive of UQBUDS, but now she is a ten-precept nun wearing yellow. We will be able to learn some of the Buddhism tradition to cultivate merits from her. For example, offering food to the nun.

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The Buddha said to Ananda: In propagating the Dharma to others, establish well five things:

“Propagate the Dharma in a gradual way;
Propagate the Dharma with the goal in mind;
Propagate the Dharma with kindliness;
Do not Propagate the Dharma as a means of gain;
Propagate the Dharma without harm to anybody."